ALAN L. BEAN

The fourth man to walk on the Moon remembers his initial reaction to the Sputnik I launch.

Typed Manuscript signed: "Alan Bean", 1 page, 8½x11. Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, no date. Bean remembers his initial reaction to the Sputnik I launch. In full: "I was standing on line for the Lido nightclub in Paris, France. I was flying for the Navy. We were in port and waiting to get into the evening show. A guy came up with a newspaper and announced it. We looked at the headline and were all amazed. Even though I didn't really know what they'd done exactly or what it meant, I was amazed that the Russians could do something like that before we could. My dream is that the Soviets and the Americans take the lead in an international mission to Mars. I hope this is the next major effort after the Space Station. -Alan bean, Apollo and Skylab Astronaut, describing his reaction to hearing about the launch of Sputnik I on October 4, 1957" Alan L. Bean (1932-2018) was selected by NASA (as part of the third group of astronauts) in 1963. The Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 12 in November 1969, Bean was the fourth man to walk on the Moon. He was Spacecraft Commander of on the 60-day Skylab II space station (July-September, 1973). Bean, who retired from the U.S. Navy in October 1975, resigned from NASA in June 1981 to devote time to painting. His paintings of the moon and space are coveted by space enthusiasts. Fine condition.